For those of you who know and to those of you who have yet to experience the Pacific Northwest during the summer, y’all need to add Seattle’s Seafair festivities to your bucket list. As a Seattle native, the first weekend in August was the most anticipated weekend for many others, as well as myself, in the city. The Torchlight Parade, the hydroplane races, and the Blue Angels are the tentpole events, including several additional events in and around the city to make up Seattle’s what used to be Seafair weekend.
In recent years they have stretched the Seafair festivtities out for multiple weekends. The Seafair festival kicked off Seafair Weekend, followed by the running of the 75th Torchlight Parade later that night. For the first time in the parade’s illustrious history, the Torchlight Parade ran down Seattle’s picturesque waterfront, on Alaskan Way. Decorative floats, local marching bands, and hearty cultural performances highlight this celebration of Seattle’s diversity, spirit, and unity.
Since 1951, some variation of the hydroplanes has been taking left turns on Lake Washington, delighting onlookers in boats and people along the shores. Race Fans, speed enthusiasts, and those looking to enjoy the good weather and libations circulating the event were present for this weekend’s festivities.
In between the afternoon boat races on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the US NAVY Blue Angels seemingly come out of nowhere to grab the attention of onlookers throughout the city by slicing through the air, rattling windows, and dazzling the fans with their aerial acrobatics. The Blue Angels headlined the Boeing Seafair Air Show and have been synonymous with Seafair Weekend since 1972.
When they arrive, the Blue Angels are unavoidable from almost anywhere in the city, as they fly in with an unsuspecting roar. Known for their precision flying and their impressive high-speed maneuvers, the Blue Angels have become a staple of Seattle’s Seafair weekend and garner the attention of those all over the city. However, there is a facet of the population that surprisingly would like to eliminate the Blue Angels from the Seafair festivities.
The Airshow Climate Action Coalition was leading the small yet noticeable protest against Boeing to remove the Blue Angels from the weekend’s festivities and citing the noise and trauma, veterans who suffer from PTSD, traffic in the neighborhood, and militarizing Seafair weekend with their presence as reasons opposed to the 54-year tradition of the Blue Angels putting on their aerial exhibition over the shores of Lake Washington during Seafair weekend.
Eager to chronicle the excitement of the Seafair Weekend and those excited for the festivities, I was genuinely surprised that there was a facet of the community that was not as enamored with the Blue Angels as I and others were. To dive into this topic further, I set out to get diverse perspectives on this issue, so I approached locals of various races and ages to get their feedback on this issue. Here are some of my initial responses:
“I think it is a tradition in Washington State. We love the Blue Angels,” says Andre, who was visiting the pit area with his family and lives near the Greenlake area of Seattle. “That’s the reason why I come. So, getting rid of them (Blue Angels) would be insane.”
“I’ve been hearing about that petition. I am a fan of the Blue Angels. You can’t get rid of them,” says Snohomish native Lito Berzecia, who visited the event with his family. “Seafair and the Blue Angels go together; you can’t have one without the other.”
These were the responses I came down the park expecting, and I wasn’t considering this story at all. Until I heard about the petition to ban the Blue Angels floating around town, though I stillI thought the idea of Seafair without the was laughable. Here are some of the other responses I received:
“I see both sides of it. They are really loud and really annoying… they bother people’s pets. I can see the veteran side of it. This is probably really upsetting for veterans and refugees of war,” said Ohio native Veronica, who currently resides in Columbia City. “The other side of it being tradition? So, I’d guess I lean more to the side of we can get rid of it, because is tradition a good enough reason to negatively impact people?”
“I know that many people love the Blue Angels. My kid was a huge fan. They are truly thrilling and a beloved tradition,” a long-time resident of Columbia City Meg shared. “But I think the negatives outweigh the positives. The noise terrifies animals, both domestic and wild. Many human neighbors find it excruciating, and for some with PTSD it is triggering. The jets are polluting and an unnecessary use of limited resources, both financially and gas-wise. When weighing pleasure vs. pain, I land on the side of the vulnerable, and think this is a tradition that has seen its day.”
Though I can understand their position on this topic, I don’t see three days out of the year being that much of a nuisance to the city, the veterans, or local government. The Blue Angels have been slicing through Seattle’s scenic skies for decades now, and few events bring the city together like Seafair Weekend. As one indifferent person, not from the market, mentioned to me, “This is America, we have the right to protest.”
“I feel like The Blue Angels and Seafair are like red beans and rice. You’ve got to have them together. Or macaroni and cheese and some fried yardbird and hot sauce; it all goes together,” explained long-time Seattle native Ray Wells. “I grew up in Seattle, WA. It’s kind of like when the Supersonics left; we don’t have a team anymore. How do we feel about that?”
“You take away the Blue Angels, you’re taking away the wings. You ain’t got no wings, you can’t fly,” Wells added in closing.
I made it a point to speak to people of various ages and backgrounds, to collect the diversity of those in attendance at the Seafair Weekend at Genesee Park in south Seattle. As a result, 60% of the people I spoke to welcomed the presence of the Blue Angels and came down to celebrate their 50-plus years of participation in Seattle’s Seafair weekend. I am confident in saying that this number is slipping, as I expected it to be closer to 80%. Which side are you on?
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